Working out our seconds

Sometimes stuff just doesn’t work out. I tell myself to give the situation some time and some space. We feel different after a while.

And the space gives us literal perspective. We’re physically further removed, so we view things differently.

This doesn’t mean we should bury our feelings and emotions. Expression is necessary. Ever seen Lincoln’s unsent letter? That’s certainly one way to relieve any pent up agitation. 

Another is to shift our focus, to give our attention to something else. Gratitude helps here. It allows us to maximize our seconds. Because in the end, time is our only and ultimate finite resource.

How ‘bout this amazing thing we call life?

Living with Joy

With awareness and gratitude, we can experience joy. Not that those elements are prerequisites, but they enable us to view reality from a peaceful perspective.

We can exude joy in all facets of our life. We can experience joy when we wake up, when we work, when we spend time with our tribe, and when we lay our bodies down to rest.

When joy is present, we reach our full potential and anything is possible. You don’t search for it, you let go, and joy will be there, within.

A Gratefulness Strategy

Doing heavy work in the heat on MLK day, I came across a strategy for being grateful. As I was suffering the heat, I realized I had things to look forward to. I knew I was going to shower when I was done, that I would get to relax in the AC. It wasn’t all that bad, especially compared to others.

The strategy is to think of others who have had it worse. When it comes to manual labor, how about:

• Slaves in the early United States - you work every day for your entire life (not to mention all the mistreatment, dehumanization, and sometimes even torture)

• Concentration camp captives during WWII - you work under inhumane conditions until you starve or they execute you (Victor Frankl details this, and how to find meaning regardless, in his phenomenal book Man’s Search for Meaning)

Basically, compare your situation to someone who has suffered much worse. There always is that someone. 

At the end of the day, there are many strategies that can help us be grateful. If the strategy above doesn’t work, just remember it’s due to people like Martin Luther King Jr., who refused to accept such types of tyranny. We can be grateful for heroes of the past who have made the world better for us now.

Choosing Climate

I have continued following the news through Twitter, and a big topic is the Democratic presidential candidates. As is common in today’s political sphere, most of the headlines contain little more than mudslinging between candidates—that’s what gets you clicks after all.

However, I did see an announcement from Michael Bloomberg’s team about his climate change initiatives. His plan offers lofty goals and promises but not details. 

Seeing his proposal made me realize that climate change is one of the major issues I will be voting on. A lot of our other problems won’t matter if we don’t have an inhabitable planet. I urge others to make climate change a central criterion of their voting decisions as well. 

We have a beautiful, amazing planet. Let’s keep it that way for future generations. 

Wonder Woman

Today my Granma turned 85 years old. I got to FaceTime with her and have a little chat, half the world away. I just kept thinking—what a remarkable window of human history she’s witnessed, and what an incredible life she’s lived (and she ain’t done yet!). 

My Granma has lived all over the world, including  Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Peru, and across the US. She’s met Barack Obama 3 separate times. My Granma has chased down one of her sons in the middle of the night on the streets of Cairo, and she’s been on a “normal” commercial flight with a baby elephant. She first watched Star Wars when it came out in 1977 at a drive thru movie theater, and they played the 2nd reel before the 1st. My Granma experienced the invention of TV, the microwave, computers, and the internet. She’s voted in every single election since she was of age. My Granma beat cancer before she even told any of our family about it. 

As you can imagine, her stories are amazing. 

The eldest of 9 children, my Granma is a pillar of strength, regardless of whatever she may tell you. She also raised 4 sons, often on her own when my Granpa was away working. 

I’ve learned so much from you Granma. You’ve taught me how to think long-term and how to think simply. You’ve reinforced the importance of family, all those times you came out to visit even though we lived far apart. I still remember when you watched my sister and me when I was 10 and my parents were on vacation, and you made me wacky cake the first time. My entire life, you’ve never missed an important event. And through your incredible stories, you’ve shown me how exciting life is, how much of an adventure one can have regardless of birth or status, and how truly wonderful we can make this journey. 

I will never be able to repay you, but I will pass it on. I love you, go win at Bridge, and happy birthday. 

Difficult Conversations

I remember way back in another lifetime, when I lived and worked in China. My team and I created a series of training programs for the international employees at a nationwide English learning company. I used to tell my team that it’s necessary to have those difficult conversations.

In fact, it’s a good indicator of what we must say when we feel scared or uncomfortable in our gut at the prospect of saying it. When we don’t want to apologize, or when we hesitate to admonish inappropriate behavior, the situation nearly always calls for it.

Difficult conversations are not fun or easy. But they’re necessary, often crucial, parts of communicating and maintaining relationships.

People appreciate when you’re straight with them. They can sense when you’re trying your utmost to communicate thoroughly. They can feel when you’re being truly genuine.

The path is not without its perils. But if we want to improve our world, if we want to obtain global consciousness and unite humanity, we need to have those difficult conversations. 

The Hindsight of the Truly Awful Process of Adjusting Expectations

A routine certainly helps. As does hard work. It’s difficult to find either when traveling for an extended period.

You’re also not usually around family. Doing this current Workaway with a family of 7 has given me that opportunity as well. It might not be my family, but being around them reminds me how wonderful family is.

Sometimes life immerses you in adversity. I wasn’t ready to do heavy manual work in heavy heat. But your removal from your comfort zone has benefits: you see different light, you’re pushed to adapt, and you garner new realizations and appreciations that otherwise would not be possible. 

As always, awareness and gratitude lead the way. 

Back to the Tropics

Almost every Australian I’ve met here has informed me, Australia is big. I think because it’s so far from most other countries in the world, and because it suffers from how most maps are projected, people don’t realize how vast it really is. 

Well it’s been immediately apparent here in Cairns. Sydney was a huge cosmopolitan city, and here it’s the tropics. Just on the flight up here you could get a sense of how big Australia is north-south. I mean Sydney is way down there. I’m currently closer to Papua New Guinea than the country’s largest city. And even with Sydney’s gorgeous harbour, the amount of nature here in Cairns simply doesn’t compare. 

I almost feel like I’m in Swiss Family Robinson with all the exotic wildlife. Just today we saw both wallabies and a kangaroo from the road while cycling, as well as 5 different species of birds. There were signs for stingers and salties on the beach, and the lush vegetation, not to mention the humidity, makes it abundantly clear what part of the world you’re in.

I’m loving it. It’s amazing that what I’ve done in months used to take years, even lifetimes, in the not too distant past. When you travel you see how much there is to cherish on this planet. We’ve got Ahch-To, Ajan Kloss, and Alderaan all in one. It’s one big beautiful amazing world, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. 

The Viewbook

I’ve written about my daily saying/morning routine before and how it helps me start the day right. 

There’s another strategy I employ sometimes when I need a little inspiration or simply want to feel better. 

Create a photo album on your phone that highlights your favorite memories over the years. It’s important to include images of the people you love as well as significant events and occasions like birthdays, graduations, and trips. 

When you need a little positivity, go through the album—you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve experienced and accomplished, by how much love and support you’ve had along the way.

Life is amazing. Sometimes we just need a little reminder, and a visual cue can help a lot. 

Iconic Reminders

Llamas in South America, Giraffes in Africa, Grizzlies in North America, and Kangaroos in Australia. Every continent has its iconic animal. Seeing them in a wild is a special experience. It reminds you of the real world, it affords some clarity, and it brings peace.

We are one of millions of species on this planet. We share it together. Do we want elephants and rhinos and jaguars and whales to die out in our lifetime? Do we want to have to explain what an elephant is to our children, because they no longer exist?

We owe it to the incredible plants and animals on our planet, as much as to ourselves, to be better. This isn’t just our world. All the other life is what makes it unique. Let’s do our part to be a contributing species. 

The Travel Push

Traveling exposes you, to new things and to yourself. It requires a gut check, where you see yourself more clearly, more objectively, and need to decide who you want to be. 

Because there are many paths out there, many places, many ways to go. Traveling illuminates all those doorways, and suddenly you have so many choices. 

Who do you want to be? Will you contribute, or simply enjoy? Finding that balance can be tough, but I believe that balance is where true happiness can be found, because you feel satisfied and fulfilled, connected and carefree. 

There are other ways to get there, but I’ve found traveling can be a very brutal, thorough way to force you to choose. 

Who do you want to be?

One History, One World, One Species

For as different as they are, Australia and the United States are similar in a few substantial ways. They’re both young countries and both former British colonies. They both share English as the unofficial, de facto national language. They both have a lot of white people.

Common colonial ancestry can hold a large emphasis apparently, because these countries didn’t necessarily develop together or have strong connections. It kind of reinforces the significance of that sunset phrase.

Yet they are different. My initial impressions of their markedly strong contrasts have held true in my time here. The two countries are like the images of a funhouse mirror, oddly distorted but vaguely familiar.

It just goes to show how singular we are as a species. We do things very differently in various parts of the world, but at the end of the day, we’re all human.

Fueling January Hope

The new year hope lingers into the teens—January can be such an exciting time. But the most important thing is to channel that hope into action. When we strive to become better humans, the world gets better too. And if enough of us strive, maybe we can maintain the focus on our ourselves and our families and communities, and be confident that the world will take care of itself. When we do good for both ourselves and others, we do good for the world too. Doesn’t that feel good?

Diversity's Role

Something that’s pretty noticeable when traveling around is the difference in diversity between first and third world countries. Here in Sydney, there are many different ethnicities present when you walk down the street. “White” people are definitely the most common, but you see lots of other nonwhite people when walking around. 

Back in Arusha, it was extremely homogeneous. You pretty much only saw black people. If you saw someone of a different ethnicity, usually on the main strip in town, you immediately knew (s)he wasn’t a local, and most likely a tourist.

This lack of diversity goes beyond mere street observations. It affects the openness of a culture. As I noted in my post about the harbour, you can just feel the openness in Sydney. There’s simply less judgement in peoples’ dispositions. People are used to different, in a way. It’s almost the opposite in Arusha. People categorize people, and indeed ways of doing things, as “native” or “other," “normal” or “different.” People aren’t exposed to new ideas and there's much less innovation.

Of course this diversity issue is directly related to a complex puzzle of economics, poverty, and education. People want to immigrate to first world countries because it enables them to improve their lives; they don’t equate emigrating to third world countries as an opportunity. I’m saying diversity is a significant contributing factor to the perspectives and attitudes of a community, in addition to the socioeconomic conditions. I never realized how important a factor it is to one’s environment. 

The reality is people in third world countries fall further and further behind, in large part because of this lack of diversity. There’s fewer ideas or modes of operation, innovation isn’t valued, and progress isn’t prioritized. It’s not fair. Are Australians more important than Tanzanians? Do we let our global economy be dominated by a few key areas?

We can affect these circumstances and make a difference. Insisting every human has the ability to internet access will help spread information and education. And for the fortunate ones who are able to travel, have real conversations with locals. Represent your culture and values the best you can. Because transcontinental friendships formed can have a permanent impact—I’ve experienced it firsthand. We are a global community. If we view it that way, we can make it a more welcoming one.

Golden Hope

If the Australian bushfires, and the 2020 Persian Gulf Crisis, and the CAA and NRC protests in India, and the political upheaval in Venezuela and Bolivia, and the American impeachment proceedings, and the climate crisis are distressing you too much, I invite you to view the images on the Voyager Golden Record. It can all be too much sometimes—I get it. When you follow the news and see what’s going on, it can be very easy to become negative. The Golden Record can serve as a little pick-me-up.

I stumbled upon an old bookmark today and happened across the Imgur album. Within 30 seconds I was getting emotional. These pictures showcase the glory and wonder of our planet, of our biodiversity, our incredible landscapes, and our unique people. In the late 70s we wanted to leave a time capsule, somewhere off in the universe, of our home. President Jimmy Carter’s words prove particularly poignant: “We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization.”

If we could see that back 40 years ago, how are we at this place now? I don’t know, but I firmly believe the average person can contribute to the solution by striving towards the habits and qualities I’ve advocated for: Education. Critical Thinking. Openness. Communication. To me, all that seems easy and elementary when looking at those images on the Golden Record. These current problems don’t appear so insurmountable. When viewed from the greatest possible scale, you see that we have a responsibility to ourselves, to our species, and to our planet.

We are one single group of primates living on the only home we’ve ever known. It’s time to stop acting like monkeys. It’s time for solutions, and for hope.

The Pull of Sydney

Walking around Sydney Harbour today reminded me of Florence. The atmosphere along the water & near the CBD has a strong pull. It’s very open and inviting. The Harbour Bridge seems friendly, and the Opera House is just art. It inclines one to think grand thoughts. You wonder and imagine and consider and wander.

It feels like someone great, some type of artistic genius, will emerge from Sydney. It feels how I always picture Florence in the 1400s. Michelangelo became the greatest artist of all time in no small part because he grew up in the shadows of giants, surrounded by the world’s best art and architecture in 15th century Florence.

Both Florence and Sydney (at least during Summer holidays) are touristy these days. But Sydney simply appeals. It’s orderly without being constricting, chill without being lazy, and it’s on the other side of the world. What a wondrous place.

You see shapes, you see color, and you see the country’s unique story. It’s a history I know very little about, and it’s definitely humbling to travel to far off places to learn all these interesting things you never knew. The world is intriguing. I cannot recommend going out to explore it enough. It enables us to see how diverse and one we are, all at the same time.

What Not to Do

Not too long ago I learned the power of a not-to-do list. This is nothing new; many successful people will recommend such a list. It comes down  to your time: do you spend a lot of time engaging in an activity that you know isn’t productive, that doesn’t help you get to where you want?

That used to be surfing the web for me, particularly the sites ESPN and Reddit. I used to spend hours after work reading about anything and everything. It was interesting and entertaining, and I did learn a good deal. But it also drained my energy, and the things I was reading about didn’t contribute at all to what I wanted to achieve in life. 

So for my New Years resolution a few years ago, I banned myself from those 2 websites. I didn’t restrict my time web surfing or do anything else except for eliminating those 2 online destinations. 

My time proliferated. All of a sudden I had much more energy, because I wasn’t staring at my phone for 3 hours a day. I became bored more easily, and thus intentionally choose the activities I wanted to fill my time. My productivity increased, as well as my relationships. All from excluding 2 websites.

Small changes can make a significant impact. As we usher in 2020, maybe we can try some small changes in the public sphere. How about no longer name calling any politicians? Or cutting out a news outlet we can sense is toxic for our thoughts? These small steps might be just the thing that allows us to reconnect, and eventually unite. In 2020 let’s all adhere to a not-to-do list.

We Can Have Both

I remember reading something online once that really helps me put things into perspective when it comes to sustainability.

It makes it easier to step outside yourself and consider the bigger picture. Because we all know how hard it can be to see beyond what we want, beyond our own personal normal.

“If everyone did the things the way I’m doing them right now, what would it be like?”

Of course, there’s a balance. We’re alive. We should live, we should enjoy, we should embrace and experience the greatest gift.

But should we do so to the detriment of others? Can’t we live our lives to the fullest in a sustainable manner? This quote helps me reflect on that.

And I believe we can.

Our Great Task

Staying informed isn’t easy or simple. These are 2 separate things. Something can be incredibly difficult, but very simple. Want to lose weight? Make sure more calories go out than in. Pretty simple, but also very difficult in practice.

When it comes to keeping up with what’s happening in the world however, it’s not so simple. Who do you believe? Different political parties, different countries say completely different things about the same events. Was the US strike against Iran’s top military official an assassination or not? Were the impeachment proceedings conducted fairly? These simple questions do not have simple answers. 

They’re also not easy to answer. Most major news outlets and media companies have an agenda—and it’s not to provide you with straight facts. It takes a lot of effort to sift through the messaging.

And yet this is the task we must face. It might be one of the most important challenges of our time. In order to solve our biggest problems, in order to unite as one species, we must know what is happening. It’s our responsibility as global citizens. If we can agree on the facts, we can move forward with possible solutions. Be a part of the solution. 

2020 Heat

It’s supposed to be 112 degrees Fahrenheit today in the Sydney suburbs. This morning at 9am it was already 87. For the brief spurts I’ve went outside, to collect the trash cans from the street and to water the plants, the temperature has been near unbearable. It brings to mind The Scorch Trials.

This is what the weather will be like in the future, if we do nothing about climate change. People will never go outside, because the temperatures will be in the 100s. The landscapes will change as scores of plants and animals die out due to the heat.

This affects you NFL owners. Do you want all your games to be played indoors? Air conditioning a huge dome must be expensive. This affects you mayors. You’ll need to rebuild your cities to enable people to remain inside as much as possible. This affects you federal governments of the world. If things continue down this path, protests will turn to riots as our economic system collapses, erupting everywhere with even more people, including those who currently deny climate change. It will push everyone to the brink.

This affects us all. Time might be the most important resource we have, but the next one surely has to be our wonderful planet. Earth will go on, with or without us, but we are accelerating its inhospitable conditions. We won’t want to inhabit the planet we've affected. All of this will happen within our lifetimes. 

Yes it’s a bleak picture. But we can change the world, literally. There are simple things that can be done that will have a large impact. If we all make (relatively) small changes, we’ll still slow and eventually reverse climate change. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Here are 3 suggestions for small lifestyle changes that, if enacted by many, will make a huge impact:

• Use Ecosia as your search engine. It’s not as good as google, but what do you even use internet searching for? Usually just to look up information in leisure time.

• Focus on reducing and reusing, before recycling. Do you really need the newest iPhone, every single year? When we reduce and reuse, less materials and products get shipped across the world. It goes against our consumption culture, but once you adjust your mindset, you become comfortable and feel empowered.

• Eat less meat, especially red meat. This might be the most difficult thing to change (ever tried sticking to a diet?) but will by far have the greatest impact. Globally, one of the biggest causes of climate change is the amount of meat we eat and how we prepare it. I’m not saying you have to become vegetarian or go vegan, but maybe only eat red meat twice a week. That’s doable right?

These are just 3 habits we can adopt; there are many more. With the turn of a new year, let’s all incorporate some type of green living into our 2020 resolutions. Just focusing on 1 new practice will matter. Our planet matters. We’ve enjoyed living here—let’s make it a wonderful place for our children.